Cases & Commentaries

A woman with end-stage renal disease, who often skipped dialysis sessions, was admitted to the hospital with fever and given intravenous opiates for pain. Because her permanent arteriovenous graft was clotted, she had been receiving dialysis via a temporary femoral catheter, increasing her risk for infection. Blood cultures grew yeast; the patient was diagnosed with fungal endocarditis, likely caused by injections of opiates through her catheter.

Book/Report

Patients with chronic kidney failure are at high risk for adverse events from treatment errors. This publication raises awareness of safety in end-stage renal disease care, explores factors specific to this setting that contribute to failure, and describes techniques for clinicians to reduce risk of errors.

Journal Article > Commentary

The authors present a case in which an unnecessary procedure was incorrectly performed on a patient who had opted to pursue hospice care. They highlight factors contributing to the error including those related to use of the electronic health record.